New Scholarship

[FLATHEAD]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,111467,00.html <br /><br />Before anyone gets all huffy remember I am not some radical racist. But I think these kids idea has merit. I am all for it.<br /><br />Scholarship Created for Whites Only<br /><br />Sunday, February 15, 2004<br /><br />BRISTOL, R.I. — A student group at Roger Williams University (search) is offering a new scholarship for which only white students are eligible, a move they say is designed to protest affirmative action (search).<br /><br />The application for the $250 award requires an essay on "why you are proud of your white heritage" and a recent picture to "confirm whiteness."<br /><br />"Evidence of bleaching will disqualify applicants," says the application, issued by the university's College Republicans.<br /><br />Jason Mattera, 20, who is president of the College Republicans, said the group is parodying minority scholarships.<br /><br />"We think that if you want to treat someone according to character and how well they achieve academically, then skin color shouldn't really be an option," he said. "Many people think that coming from a white background you're automatically privileged, you're automatically rich and your parents pay full tuition. That's just not the case."<br /><br />The stunt has angered some at the university, but the administration is staying out of the fray. The school's provost said it is a student group's initiative and is not endorsed by Roger Williams (search).<br /><br />Mattera, who is of Puerto Rican descent, is himself a recipient of a $5,000 scholarship open only to a minority group.<br /><br />"No matter what my ethnicity is, I'm making a statement that scholarships should be given out based on merit and need," Mattera told the Providence Journal.<br /><br />His group took out a full-page ad in last week's issue of the university's student newspaper to tout the scholarship, which was for $50 until two donors came forward to add $100 each during the weekend, Mattera said.

 

[plywoody]

Re: New Scholarship

Gag me!<br /><br />While an individual can set up any sort of private scholarship they wish, I suppose, the notion of this is just plain silly.<br /><br />If we lived in a color blind, class blind society perhaps it makes sense, but we don't.<br /><br />Let's get rid of the "Heritage" appointments that allow people like George W Bush, a self-admitted pretty average student, to attend Yale and Harvard grad school first before we pretend that this society should be solely based on "merit"<br /><br />I don't mean to specifically pick out Bush--I am sure there are lots of influential dems in that pool as well, but it is all just affirmative action for the privledged class<br /><br />This society has always been based on who you know, and who you are related to, as opposed to what you know, and probably always will be, so if a break is given to some group or other based on something like racial heritage or the like, I just don't see it as the end of civilization as we know it.

 

[FLATHEAD]

Re: New Scholarship

The end of civilization??? George Bush????? <br /><br />

 

[aspeck]

Re: New Scholarship

Heard this one on the BBC today. They actually gave it a semi-positive spin, with a good interview with Jason Mattera.